Iowa came from behind to claim a nail-biting 94-89 overtime win against Nebraska in the 2024 Big Ten Women's Championship. This is the Hawkeyes' third consecutive title.
"I'm so proud of our perseverance," Iowa coach Lisa Bluder said. "We didn't play very well in the first half. We just kept believing, and I thought we played much better [in the second half]. Went through the smoke out there today, baby."
𝟯-𝗣𝗲𝗮𝘁. @CaitlinClark22 x #Hawkeyes pic.twitter.com/IrLLIkQ9y6
— Iowa Women's Basketball (@IowaWBB) March 10, 2024
The Cornhuskers looked more in control early in the game and led by as many as 13 points late in the second quarter. Iowa star Caitlin Clark had the lowest scoring half of her career in the first, as she had only four points and was 2-of-13 from the field and 0-of-9 from beyond the arc.
Clark opened the second half with a step-back 3-pointer, which helped set the tone for Iowa's comeback effort. She eventually hit the bucket that tied the game 77-77 with 29 seconds and gave us the extra period. That was the first overtime period in a Big Ten Women's Championship.
In a performance that earned her Most Outstanding Player honors, Clark recorded 34 points, 12 assists and seven rebounds.
"Caitlin Clark's Big Ten curtain call, how about a Championship?!" 🤩 @IowaWBB pic.twitter.com/xru9ztQ0Qe
— CBS Sports College Basketball 🏀 (@CBSSportsCBB) March 10, 2024
However, this win was a true team effort as Hannah Stuelke added 25 points and nine rebounds. Kate Martin contributed 13 points and seven boards, while Sydney Affolter registered a double-double of 11 points and 11 rebounds.
Gabbie Marshall only had six points offensively, but the fifth-year guard made a huge block with 27 seconds left in overtime as Nebraska tried to close in the Hawkeyes' 91-87 lead.
"It's the seniors for the Hawkeyes willing this team to a Championship!" @IowaWBB 👏 pic.twitter.com/3hpJbxThSo
— CBS Sports College Basketball 🏀 (@CBSSportsCBB) March 10, 2024
Nebraska made an incredible effort, and it was led by a 23-point performance from Alexis Markowski and a 21-point day from Natalie Potts. However, the Cornhuskers fell just short of the upset.
"I think our first half wasn't very good across the board, for myself included," Clark said. "You really have no choice but to figure it out at halftime and really respond. That is exactly what we did. Even being down seven with two minutes to play, we never gave up. This was definitely the hardest [Big Ten Women's Championship]. Three in a row, this is by far the hardest."
